Kharif crop acreage in Telangana nears 117 lakh acres

20-Aug-2026 08:05 PM

Hyderabad: Despite a slight deficit in monsoon rainfall, the gross cultivation area for Kharif crops in Telangana reached 116.98 lakh acres by August 19; this is 1.72 lakh acres less than the 118.70 lakh acres sown during the same period last year. Major crops cultivated in Telangana include paddy, maize, tur (pigeon pea), cotton, and soybean.

According to the latest data from the State Agriculture Department, the cultivation area for paddy in the current Kharif season dropped from 54.80 lakh acres to 48.75 lakh acres compared to last year, while maize acreage fell from 6.13 lakh acres to 5.78 lakh acres. The sown area for jowar (sorghum) remained stable at 34,000 acres, but the combined area for paddy and coarse cereals declined from 61.28 lakh acres to 54.91 lakh acres.

However, the sown area for pulses saw an increase of over 2 lakh acres, rising from 5.56 lakh acres last year to 7.60 lakh acres this year. Within this category, the cultivation area for arhar (tur) increased from 4.73 lakh acres to 5.44 lakh acres, the area for moong (green gram) surged from 60,000 acres to 1.52 lakh acres, and the acreage for urad (black gram) rose from 22,000 acres to 61,000 acres. Cultivation of other pulses was limited to a smaller area.

The sowing coverage for oilseed crops also improved, rising from 3.67 lakh acres to 3.88 lakh acres. Specifically, the cultivation area for soybean increased from 3.60 lakh acres to 3.72 lakh acres. Similarly, the area sown with groundnut surged from 6,000 acres to 12,000 acres, while the acreage for castor rose from 1,000 acres to 3,000 acres.

Telangana has witnessed a massive increase of 3.27 lakh acres in cotton sowing, with the cultivation area rising from 44.92 lakh acres last year to 48.19 lakh acres this season. Sugarcane acreage has also increased.